As a young man, I remember on several occasions in the small town I was living in at the time, going with either my father or grandfather to the “Butcher”. It didn’t matter if it was for lunch meat or the night’s steak dinner.

I still remember the saw dust on the floor (which the health department has ruled unsanitary) the smell of cool fresh meat having been stocked in the meat case and the sound of knives and band saws going to town in the meat department.

I think I remember now more then ever because of our involvement in competitive BBQ contests and having to be more familiar with cuts of meat. The key for us has been finding Butchers and not just “meat case stockers”. At one point I truly felt that the art of Butchering was all but a memory.
In recent years The art of Butchering and being able to find a TRUE Butcher have made a resurgence, for that I’m very grateful.

So for me it wasn’t a mere coincidence to come across a book on the subject of Butchers with the book cover looking like it was actually made out of the red Butcher paper they would wrap meat in! That in and of itself sold me on the book! The name of this book is: Primal Cuts: Cooking with Americas Best Butchers! By Marissa Guggiana.

What Marissa Guggiana, food activist, writer, and fourth generation meat purveyor, did was travel the country to discover fifty of the most gifted butchers and share their favorite dishes, personal stories, and cooking techniques.

What I learned from this book was how to cook conventional and unconventional meat cuts, how to talk to their local butcher, and even how to source and buy whole animals for their home freezer. What I really enjoyed were the animal primal cuts diagrams included in the book. But you will also find:

• 100 Meat Recipes
• 50 Profiles and Portraits of America’s Best Butchers
• Practical Advice on Techniques and Tools
• Hundreds of Diagrams, Illustrations, and Photos
• Home Butchering How-To
• Tons of Trade Secrets

Unlike a lot of books out on the market, what I felt was truly unique was visiting the Primal Cuts website (http://www.welcomebooks.com/primalcuts/) they have a section on the website where your able to read from the pages of the book, see the pictures, recipes and diagrams Before you purchase it to ensure it is what you want. There are also plenty of reference tools for readers. One of my favorite’s links on the site is to help you find Butchers in your area locally, someone who truly will know what it is you are looking for. How cool is that!

For BBQ fans this is a must have book! It has made its way to my all time favorites and is the book I often grab to read and look at unique recipes and prospective from the men and women who have devoted themselves to bringing us QUALITY meats.

You will find as I have that this is Truly an art form, and one because of individuals like those interviewed for this book will stay around for years to come. Thank you to author Marissa Guggiana for hitting a home run with this book, and letting us all know that we still have knowledgeable, true butchers who have mastered there craft and can provide us with the quality cuts of meat we want locally! Smoke On!